19/03/2024 - The co-director of French company Kazak Productions discusses the project presented at the Co-Pro Pitching Sessions of the Series Mania Forum

Founded in 2007, Kazak Productions is now an established name in French independent cinema with around twenty feature films under its belt (among them Titane [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julia Ducournau, Vincent Li…
film profile], Sons of Ramses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Clément Cogitore
film profile], Arab Blues [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Manele Labidi
film profile]). We met up with Amaury Ovise, co-director of the Paris-based company with Jean-Christophe Reymond, selected for the Co-Pro Pitching Session of Séries Mania Forum (read the article) with the series project Nanga Parbat (6 x 52').

Cineuropa: What attracted you to the true story that inspired Nanga Parbat?
Amaury Ovise: It all began when I read Vivre, the testimony of Élisabeth Revol, co-written with Éliane Patriarca. The book tells the story of her rescue at Nanga Parbat, the 9th highest mountain in the world, in the Himalayas. The circumstances of Elisabeth’s rescue were exceptional and broadcast live around the world. It’s the meeting of these two elements that I thought would be interesting to develop into a series. I am captivated by the mountains, they’re an exciting arena to showcase and they present fascinating dramatic and human stakes. 

Only the series format allowed us to address multiple themes: the portrait of a virtuoso mountaineer that throws into question the figure of the hero today, the treatment of mountaineers by the media and the wild risks they take, the diplomatic issues between France and the Middle East (Pakistan). I contacted Caryl Férey to write. He made his way into all the blind spots of the story to develop the narrative, which is carried largely by female characters. 

Why did you choose Caryl Férey?
I searched for a long time for the right author to develop the series. I met with Caryl in late 2023, I read all his novels and I appreciate his work as a screenwriter on the films of Jérôme Salle (Kompromat [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Zulu [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile]). He had the literary experience to write about what Elisabeth had experienced, which is just like a thriller. We developed the story following one principle: to tell this story from several points of view while avoiding it turning into a simple survival tale set in the mountains. I also wanted to benefit from his personal and intimate vision on the story. I come from the world of cinema and from a generation of producers that has learned to love TV series with HBO, a broadcaster that knows to trust showrunners and auteurs’ visions. I found that with Caryl, who adapted and recreated with great accuracy what had happened to Elisabeth, all the while maintaining a very personal vision. For Nanga Parbat, he created a fiction starting from a very rich documentary basis, which turned into a successful and ambitious 6x52’ show, with many cliffhangers. The fact that Caryl knew little about Himalayanism and its codes was, for me, an asset. It forced him to ask himself the same questions that the people watching the show will ask themselves. 

What would be the ideal schedule for the project?
We’re at Series Mania hoping to sign with one of the broadcasters who have expressed interest in the project. The production will be complex because of the constraints of filming at high altitudes and around the world. We hope to continue development in 2024 and to finalise our choice of co-producers. There are two possible scenarios: either collaborating with a platform, or setting up a co-production with one or several terrestrial French television broadcasters. Filming would take place in the first half of 2026. The series will require very long periods of preparation for the sets: Islamabad in Pakistan and the Nanga Parbat, so the Himalayas, which we are considering recreating in a studio. The main actress who will play Elisabeth — a genuine physical challenge — will be a French actress known internationally. We will shoot mostly in English. 

Kazak Productions comes from the world of cinema and this will be your first series. Why did you decide to make this move?
The worlds of feature filmmaking and of the series are not the same. For a cinema producer, it’s about changing softwares, becoming more political and strategique in his approach to projects. We are ready to meet that challenge. Nanga Parbat has many qualities and the series could be an event. I am surprised by the number of talents who have shown interest in the bible for the series and who are ready to take part. I believe that a good project always ends up coming to light, and most of all, that one should never compromise on their desires. That’s the best way to convince others. Elisabeth Revol, who is an incredible mountain climber, is very inspiring in that regard. She supports our vision for the project: ambitious and contemporary. 

What is currently in store for Kazak?
Regarding cinema, we’re finishing post-production work on Queen Mom by Manele Labidi (read the article) and on Zénithal by Jean-Baptiste Saurel (read the article). On 27 March, Pas de vagues by Teddy Lussi-Modeste is coming out in French cinemas. We have 13 feature film projects in majority development and several projects currently at the writing stage for streaming platforms. Kazak will be present on all fronts in 2024.

(Translated from French)